Characterization of citrus cultivars and clones in Cyprus through microsatellite and RAPD analysis

Fifty one accessions from the Citrus collection of the Agricultural Research Institute, Lefcosia, Cyprus (ARI), representing 8 Citrus species, were analyzed with 10 microsatellite and 6 RAPD markers. Both, microsatellite and RAPD analyses, allowed the discrimination of the studied accessions at species level. A low level of polymorphism was obtained among cultivars within the species. In the group of oranges (6 cultivars and their clones), only one out of ten SSR primers discriminated between two groups of cultivars: the commercial cultivar Shamouti and two local cultivars. Jaffa and Aematousiki, on one hand and Valencia orange and the local orange Shekeriko on the other hand. In the group of lemons (3 cultivars and their clones) all three studied varieties, local Polyphori, local Lapithon and commercial Lisbon, were distinguished by one SSR and two RAPD primers. The local mandarin Arakapas (7 accessions) and Willowleaf showed complete genetic similarity by using both microsatellite and RAPD markers. The SSR markers did not reveal a polymorphism among the clones of the studied cultivars. Clone-specific RAPD markers were found for one clone of Frappa (4 accessions) and one clone of Bergamot (5 accessions). On the basis of the microsatellite data the local Cyprus cultivar Koumantantas was identified as Sour orange.